<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>passenger seat by rainingover</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28922805">passenger seat</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingover/pseuds/rainingover'>rainingover</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band), WAYV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Space, Crimes &amp; Criminals, First Meetings, Flirting, Hijacking, Kissing, M/M, Outer Space</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:56:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,887</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28922805</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingover/pseuds/rainingover</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dejun should have known better than to pick someone up from the dark edge of Port Tigris. </p><p>(Or: Dejun drives a taxi-ship and Jaemin needs a driver.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Na Jaemin/Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>104</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Challenge #4 — Awaken The World</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>passenger seat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dejun should have known better than to pick someone up from the dark edge of Port Tigris. </p><p>It wasn't a place that was known for reputable business and good, honest, travellers, and when he’d seen the job flash up on his digi-screen in the cab of his taxi-ship, Dejun had almost rejected it. </p><p>His shift was almost over, and he could be doing with getting straight onto the Express Shipway so he’d be home before the morning rush, but when the job flashed up for a second time, and then a third, and Dejun realised that no-one else was going to pick it up, he’d turned his ship towards the Port.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>His passenger introduced himself as Jaemin. He was dressed in black leather from head to ankle, the outfit finished with hot pink boots and his dark brown hair swept back off his face. He was striking, and he looked cold and he looked worried, and when Dejun pulled into the port and saw him standing there alone, he’d immediately wondered what Jaemin was doing out on Tigris on a night like this.</p><p>Jaemin asked to be driven to a bar on the Underside of Port Lepus, and while it wasn't exactly on his way home, the fare would be a nice little extra to Dejun’s nightly income. </p><p>He’d learnt to fly ships from his cousin Kun, who was a Cruise pilot, running tours of the galaxy for mega-rich tourists. He said the money was <em> insane </em> and he got to visit planets Dejun dreamed of seeing, so he'd decided to become a cruise pilot too, except he’d fucked up his Level 5 exam and wouldn’t be able to resit it until next year, so he’d decided to drive taxi-ships until then.</p><p>It was okay, just a little boring. </p><p>Dejun tried to sneak glances of his passenger. Jaemin tapped his foot against the floor of the ship, checking his watch. Embarrassingly, he caught Dejun’s eye <em> every time </em> Dejun looked.</p><p>“Um. Just checking you’re okay back there,” Dejun lied to cover himself, smiling nervously at the reflection in the rear-view mirror. Jaemin was the sort of handsome that made people nervous. Dejun was nervous.</p><p>Jaemin leant forward. He smelt of smoke and amber. “Can you not fly this thing any faster?”</p><p>“What?” </p><p>Jaemin looked down at his watch and then back up, meeting Dejun’s eye in the mirror again. “Go <em> faster</em>.”</p><p>“I can’t.” Dejun frowned. “There are rules. I can’t exceed the speed limit. Sorry.”</p><p>“Please?” Jaemin's eyes widened and he pouted, like a puppy trying to look cute. It almost worked. </p><p>“No!” Dejun laughed. Surely Jaemin was joking. Surely he knew that Dejun was driving at the speed limit.</p><p>Jaemin paused. “<em>Pretty </em> please?” He tried. He fluttered his eyelashes, cocked his head to the side. “Pretty please with cherries on top?”</p><p>The way he drew the word cherries with his tongue made Dejun feel dizzy, but he shook his head. “I really can’t, I’m taking exams next year and I can’t have indiscretions on my licence. We’re going at the legal limit, look—“ He tried to point out the speedometer to his passenger, except Jaemin was now unbuckling his seat belt— illegal —and climbing into the front of the cab (also very illegal).</p><p>Jaemin clicked his tongue as he sat down next to Dejun in the front passenger seat. “You can’t say I didn’t try to do this nicely,” he said. </p><p>“Uh.” Dejun wondered what it meant to be nervous and horny at the same time as Jaemin reached into a pocket on the inside of his jacket and -<em> oh fuck</em>- pulled out a gun. Dejun was struggling to concentrate on the sky in front of them. He was also struggling to breathe. Jaemin looked even better up close, even pointing a gun.</p><p>“Fly this ship as quick as it will go or I’ll shoot,” Jaemin told him, shifting closer to him in the front seat. </p><p>“Right.” Dejun glanced at Jaemin’s face. He was serious, and he was that angry kind of hot that was confusing Dejun's brain. “Right then, here we go. Going faster, going super fast," he blabbered on, pressing the accelerator and switching to tenth gear with shaky hands.</p><p>Jaemin’s breath felt warm on the side of his face as his speeding warning light flashed in neon red.</p><p>This was <em> not </em> how he expected to end his shift. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When they reached the orbit of Port Lepus, Jaemin leaned over to check the orbit-tracker on Dejun's digi-screen dashboard. "We should be able to park without being spotted by authorities," he said.</p><p>“You’re not new to this, then.” Dejun shakily changed gear. “Illegally speeding round the galaxy like this.”</p><p>“Park up and when you get out, please act normal," Jaemin said.</p><p>“When I get out? I’m not getting <em>out</em>. I drove you to where you wanted me to.” Dejun gripped the steering wheel.</p><p>“And you’ve done well, so I need you to drive me <em> back </em> too.” He said it casually, like it was obvious. Maybe it was, Dejun thought. Maybe all galactic hijackers wanted a roundtrip. “But first we gotta meet a guy in a bar.”</p><p>“Can I not, maybe, stay in the ship and wait for you?” Dejun <em>really</em> didn’t want to get out of the ship. He’d never been to Port Lepus but it didn’t look much safer than Port Tigris, and his heart was racing and he needed to get home and lie down, and think of Jaemin leaning in close to his neck and not pulling a gun on him. At least not <em> that </em> kind of gun.</p><p>Jaemin shook his head. “The second you're alone, you’ll drive away and report me."</p><p>“I won't,” Dejun argued, but even he wasn’t convinced by his words. </p><p>Jaemin smiled at him, clearly amused. “You're cute,” he said. “Now take my hand.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Holding hands with the sexiest person he’d ever met, Dejun was enjoying the worst inner turmoil ever. </p><p>Jaemin had calloused but warm hands. Dejun's hands were sweaty and he cringed. “What are we doing when we get to the bar?” He asked. “You said you need to meet someone.”</p><p>“Meet them, rob them,” Jaemin said. “Then we'll have to leave quickly.” </p><p>“Rob them?” Dejun must have physically faltered, because Jaemin pulled him closer, like he was comforting him with touch even if he couldn’t with his words. The words were <em> not </em> a comfort.</p><p>“It’s going to be okay.” Jaemin sounded so sure. “You’ll be good at this,” he practically purred and the whole thing— the words, the way he said it— went straight to Dejun’s dick. </p><p>“It better be okay.” Dejun frowned, trying to prove to them both that he wasn’t into this. "I'm not happy about this."</p><p>“When we get into the bar, act like you’re my boyfriend,” Jaemin said, then, and Dejun almost choked. "You're really pretty, so people here might stare at you."</p><p>Dejun almost melted at the compliment. Then he remembered the gun, and that jumble of fear and excitement filled him again.</p><p>Who’d have known he could still get that giddy feeling of fancying someone new while being threatened with weapons? Dejun would have to unpack that mental minefield later, because now the bar was in sight, and there were eyes on them from patrons outside, and Jaemin’s smile was painted onto his face like a carefully crafted mask as he slipped his hand away from Dejun’s and then slid it around his waist instead.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The bar was smoky and crowded, but despite the low lighting, Dejun could tell people were watching them as he and Jaemin headed inside. </p><p>Jaemin leant into his side. “We will order a drink first, so we don’t look suspicious.” He pulled back and cleared his throat. “What do you want babe?”</p><p>Dejun blushed despite knowing Jaemin was just acting. “A beer? Uh, Babe.”</p><p>Jaemin’s mouth twitched like he was trying not to laugh. He ordered the drinks, and when they were served, made a show of wiping a drop of beer from Dejun’s upper lip, leaning in and giggling against his neck. “Can I kiss you?”</p><p>“What sort of kiss?” Dejun asked in a low voice. “Should I use tongue?”</p><p>“You’re really into me, huh?” Jaemin grinned. </p><p>“I just don’t want you to shoot me,” Dejun told him. It was <em> one </em> of the reasons. He hoped the flush on his cheeks couldn’t be seen under the low lighting.</p><p>“Change of plan.” Jaemin stood up straight and Dejun mourned the lack of touch. “I’ve spotted our man trying to sneak out while I'm distracted." He tutted, and then he was gone. </p><p>There was a shout from across the bar, and then a guy with green hair pulled out a gun, and there was chaos around Dejun— people shouting and pulling out other weapons— and then Jaemin was grabbing Dejun by his wrist and was dragging him towards the back of the club.</p><p>They left out of the fire escape and ran. Dejun was lost, disoriented. He felt dizzy, like he was untethered and floating away from everything he knew, but Jaemin’s eyes were focused. He led Dejun confidently through back streets and then back towards the dock.</p><p>When they got back to the ship, Jaemin looked slightly ruffled for the first time since Dejun had met him, a stray lock of dark hair out of place, fallen over his forehead. He resisted the urge to reach out and fix Jaemin’s hair. </p><p>“Are you alright?” Jaemin asked, visibly checking Dejun over for any signs of him being hurt. He bit his lip, reaching out to gently thumb at the inside of Dejun’s wrist. “I didn’t grab your wrist too tightly when we were getting away?”</p><p>Dejun shook his head and pulled his wrist back before Jaemin could tell his pulse was racing so fast. He was alright. For some reason, he <em> was </em> alright. And despite the vague threats due to his slow driving, he wasn’t all that much scared, although whether it was stupid to feel that way Dejun wasn’t certain. He’d definitely be evading Jaemin’s company as soon as he could. Probably.</p><p>If only he wasn’t so damn gorgeous and weirdly charming.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Back inside the taxi-ship, Jaemin didn't even pretend like he was going to sit in the back; instead he slid into the passenger seat in the front of the cab next to Dejun.</p><p>Dejun swallowed the jumble of nerves knotted in his throat. “Did you ask permission to kiss me back there?” he asked, like it was a casual question. </p><p>“I guess so.” Jaemin shrugged. He pushed his hair back off his forehead and something fluttered in Dejun’s chest.</p><p>“You were cool with threatening to kill me but not with making me kiss you?” Dejun pushed. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. </p><p>He kind of wished that Jaemin <em> had </em> kissed him back there.</p><p>“The threat to shoot was— well, I needed you to speed and… I wouldn't have actually hurt you.” </p><p>“Hmm.” Dejun wasn’t sure if he believed Jaemin, not that it mattered. He hadn’t died (yet) and he wasn’t having the worst evening of his life. It was quite exciting, really. </p><p>He could probably get off on this memory for a long time, if he just swapped some of the scenes for make out sessions and potentially a blowjob. </p><p>“I know you have issues with speed, but we really need to get out of the port’s orbit, like, now.” Jaemin glanced at him, bringing him back to the job in hand. “Can you just push it a <em> little </em> bit? Please?” He pouted a little. </p><p>Dejun pressed the accelerator. “Back to Port Tigris?”. </p><p>“Yeah. Or could we go to yours?” Jaemin raised an eyebrow. "Joking. But I would. If I didn’t have to escape the galaxy, I’d come to your place and we could fuck all night. I think you’d like that, right?”</p><p>A noise that Dejun could only describe as desperate slipped from his throat and he felt too hot. “I—uh, I don’t even <em>know</em> you.” He wished he could take his hands off the steering controls and cover his face, but he was already driving dangerously.</p><p>“True. You don’t know me.” Jaemin was watching him from under long eyelashes. “And I’m not exactly the sort of guy anyone would want to take home.”</p><p>“No,” Dejun agreed. “You’re not.”</p><p>Jaemin just smiled at this, like it didn’t bother him in the slightest. He was holding a small black drawstring bag that Dejun hadn’t noticed before. “What is it that you stole back there?” Dejun nodded towards the bag, which Jaemin immediately pocketed.</p><p>“The secrets of the universe,” Jaemin said. "And I'm not joking."</p><p>Dejun wondered how the secrets of the universe could fit into a tiny pouch, but then again he wouldn’t know. The universe has always been a mystery to him. "All of the secrets?"</p><p>“Yup. They were in the wrong hands. Bad hands.” Jaemin looked quite sincere about it. “I have to get them back to the good guys.”</p><p>“You're a <em> good </em> guy?”</p><p>“No.” Jaemin giggled, shaking his head. “They’re just paying me. I’m the middleman, the gun for hire.”</p><p>“So you’re working for the good guys,” Dejun pointed out. “Not quite the same but— similar?” </p><p>It wasn’t <em> that </em> similar, but still, it felt like it was important to Jaemin to say so, and aside from the whole drive-faster-or-you’ll-die thing which he'd claimed to be an empty threat, Jaemin had tried pretty hard to keep him from harm. </p><p>Plus, the more time Dejun spent around Jaemin, the sexier he became. The sexiness was blinding him a little bit, he accepted that, and maybe his friends would call him naive for it but he felt like maybe being Jaemin’s getaway driver hadn’t actually been the worst pick-up ever. </p><p>Just as he was thinking about the fit of Jaemin’s leather trousers and the way Jaemin’s lips had brushed his neck back at the bar, Jaemin sighed.  “I do want to do good,” he said. “I’m good at stealing, and honestly, those guys at the bar back there? <em> Bad </em> people. Really bad. I might not <em> be </em> a good guy, but I’m trying to help.” </p><p>“That’s actually very noble.” Dejun watched the lights of the ships on the other side of the Express Shipway as they flew by in a white blur. He glanced back at Jaemin, who wasn’t smiling now, not teasing or giggling. He looked <em>earnest</em>, like he wanted Dejun to understand his motive. “I mean, aside from the gun and hijacking and stuff.”</p><p>Jaemin smiled then. He no longer looked like the savvy space criminal he technically was. He just looked like a guy in his twenties who wasn’t quite where he wanted to be in life yet. “So, I want to know more about you before I have to go. What’s the taxi-ship trade like?” </p><p>Dejun blinked. “Normally it's quite boring,” he admitted. “But I’m going to be a Cruise Pilot one day and travel to the far reaches of the galaxy.” He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of it. It was a dream, but not one that was too far out of his grasp. Well, as long as he hadn't been caught flying at triple the speed limit tonight.</p><p>“Hopefully we will meet again one day, under different circumstances.” Jaemin sounded wistful, almost. “And <em> then </em> we can fuck.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They entered Port Tigris’ orbit, slowing down to a reasonable speed so not to attract extra attention. </p><p>“You're a really good pilot,” Jaemin told him. “I didn’t mean it about the speed— it’s good that you fly properly. Safe. If I wasn’t trying to stay on the down-low I’d leave you a five star rating after this journey.”</p><p>Dejun laughed, navigating to a stop outside of the port’s side entrance. “Well instead of a rating, maybe... That kiss?”</p><p>Jaemin leaned in slowly, or maybe he didn’t, maybe it just felt that way, like Dejun was starring in a hologram-movie or something. His kiss was confident, a gentle slide of his lips against Dejun’s mouth, which Dejun received with an easy sort of hunger. Jaemin’s hand at Dejun’s cheek was gentle but certain, and he opened his mouth, Jaemin smiling against his lips. “So we <em> are </em> using tongues?”</p><p>“Shut up,” Dejun snapped. He knew they were running out of time, and he wanted to taste danger (albeit danger with a quite noble cause) before Jaemin disappeared.</p><p>Deepening the kiss, Dejun resisted temptation to climb into Jaemin’s lap, even when he ran his fingers up into Dejun’s hair and tugged a little, slipping his tongue against the soft skin on the inside of Dejun’s bottom lip. </p><p>“I have to go,” he breathed, pulling away. He looked sad about it, and his hair had fallen out of place again. “The universe kinda depends on it.”</p><p>Dejun nodded, half-stunned from the kiss of his entire life, and half relieved that he could go home to sleep now. “Good luck,” he whispered, barely able to find his voice. He could still feel Jaemin’s hand on his skin even though he was already getting out of the cab. </p><p>“Drive safely.” Jaemin winked at him. </p><p>And then he was gone, slipped away into the back entrance of the port with a little bag of secrets, an unpaid cab ride and a little bit of Dejun's heart.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>